If you love carrot cake, then allow me to convince you to try this unbelievable Pistachio Carrot Cake which is so moist, soft and fluffy with so much flavor from roasted pistachios and warm spices. It is topped with a fluffy, creamy and dreamy whipped cream cheese frosting that is made without butter! It is so light and tangy, and it's the perfect complement to this moist cake. If you're looking for more carrot cake recipes, check out my BEST Carrot Cake recipe and also these fluffy Carrot Cake Cupcakes too!
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- Easy to make - this cake is simple and quick to prepare. The most work is grating the carrots.
- Soft and moist carrot cake - this recipe makes such a moist cake with very soft crumb texture and stays moist for days without drying out.
- Flavorful pistachio cake - pistachios add so much earthy flavor to complement the carrots and the spices. It is truly a unique spin on carrot cake.
- Soft crumb texture - the crumb is tender and fluffy and it's even soft straight from the fridge.
- Flavorful spice cake - a fragrant blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice adds such a wonderful flavor.
- Fluffy cream cheese frosting - this frosting is incredible. It is made without butter so it is so light and fluffy like a cloud. It's not too sweet.
INGREDIENTS FOR PISTACHIO CARROT CAKE
Here are some notes about the ingredients. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- All purpose flour - regular unbleached all-purpose flour works just fine in this carrot cake recipe for a moist and soft texture.
- Spices - a fragrant blend of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and ginger is just right here! I've played with the blend of spices a lot and this is the combination I love the most for carrot cake. Feel free to leave out the allspice if you don't have it, or add a pinch of ground clove instead.
- Pistachios - for the most flavor, I like to roast the pistachios before grinding them. If you find roasted, salted pistachios, then that is best!
- Oil - liquid oil will keep this cake soft even when it's refrigerated to preserve the cream cheese frosting. That's because oil is liquid even when cold whereas the saturated fats in butter are hard when cold.
- Granulated sugar - granulated sugar keeps these muffins tender and moist.
- Brown sugar - brown sugar adds rich molasses undertones to complement the sweet spices in this cake. You can use light or dark brown sugar.
- Eggs - one large egg will add nice structure and help with the moist spongy texture.
- Yogurt - use full fat plain yogurt to add tanginess to balance the sweet carrots and the acidity will react with the baking soda.
- Grated carrots - you will need 1 cup of shredded carrots which is about 120g from 1 large carrot or about 2 medium carrots. Make sure you grate them on the finer side of your box grater.
- Cream cheese - one block of cream cheese will make the frosting. Avoid using spreadable or whipped cream cheese which has a higher moisture content and will affect the consistency of the frosting.
- Lemon juice - this really enhances the tanginess of the cream cheese!
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
- STEP 1). First grate your carrots. Use the medium grate on your box grater - not the largest size. If the carrot shreds are too large then they will be stringy in the cake and this interferes with the nice moist crumb texture. Measure out1 cup and place it in a large mixing bowl.
- STEP 2). Add the sugar and eggs. Add brown sugar and eggs and beat until evenly combined.
- STEP 3). Add the remaining wet ingredients. Add the oil, yogurt and vanilla and mix well.
- STEP 4). Combine dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, granulated sugar, pistachios, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
- STEP 5). Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold them together gently.
- STEP 6). Bake. Divide the batter evenly between your pans and bake until evenly golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- STEP 7). Frost the cake. Prepare the frosting as per the instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Spread frosting evenly over the cake. Sprinkle extra chopped pistachios on top and enjoy!
EXPERT BAKING TIPS
- Shred the carrots on the finest side of the grater. The key to a soft and fluffy carrot cake is to have the carrots bake into the crumb. If you coarsely grate the carrots, then they will not bake as quickly and will stay as threads through the cake which can get stuck in your teeth. For maximum flavor and the best texture, you'll need to grate them finely.
- Mix carrots with sugar first. This step helps to break down the carrots slightly so that you don't end up with fibrous bits in the baked cake.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Since this is a simple dump and mix (almost one bowl) method, there is minimal mixing steps involved so it is important to have all ingredients at the same temperature (not cold!) in order to help them blend evenly together.
- Roast the pistachios. If you only have raw pistachios, definitely roast them to bring out the flavor. Just place them in a dry frying pan over medium heat until they begin to darken and become fragrant.
- Measure flour accurately. Too much flour can make this cake feel more dry and create a coarser texture. For the best results, weigh your flour.
- Sift the dry ingredients. Sifting the flour will break up any lumps and make it easier for them to incorporate into the batter and minimize the amount of mixing required.
- Do not over-mix the batter. Once the flour is combined then the batter is ready for baking. You can use a whisk and mix by hand if you are concerned about over-mixing.
RECIPE FAQ
Firstly - use a fresh oil! Do not use anything that's been opened for a long time and when you store oil, it should be in a cool dark place. Light and heat accelerate oxidation reactions that can make the flavor turn rancid. For oil-based cakes, I almost always prefer sunflower oil because it has a very neutral and clean taste. This recipe will work with any liquid oil, including canola (rapeseed) oil, peanut oil or even olive oil.
My favorite blend of spices for carrot cake are cinnamon (in the highest quantity), allspice, nutmeg and ginger. It's such a wonderful fragrance and will make your house smell amazing! You can use clove if you like, but I find it is too overpowering for carrot cake. Clove belongs in gingerbread.
If you don't have yogurt, you can replace it with low fat sour cream or crème fraîche -- a type of fermented dairy product somewhere between yogurt and sour cream.
Once the centers are springy and a toothpick comes out clean the cupcakes are ready. They will get deeply golden brown.
It's not more fat! Moisture comes from liquid, not fat. So you can add more butter and more oil, but it will really just make the cake more dense and more tender by shortening the texture. Fat will not make a cake moist as only liquids can add moisture. This cake is moist because of the amount of liquid.
Too much flour and over-mixing makes cakes dry. For the best results, weigh your flour. Also be careful not to over-mix on the last step.
Oil is fat. Moisture comes from water. Oil does not contain water. So then what's the deal? Well, oil makes cakes soft and that gives the perception of moistness. It keeps the crumb tender. If there is too much oil, then the cake will be dense and heavy and air bubbles will not be able to sustain themselves in the batter.
This cake is wonderful because they stay moist, so you can make it a day in advance and still be a star.
One of the most important things to note when baking with oils is to use the freshest oil possible. You can easily ruin a recipe if your oil is rancid, and you will be so upset that you wasted all the other ingredients! Store oil in a cool, dry and dark place away from sunlight. Do not store your oil under the sink because it can get hot under there after long periods of running hot water. It's best to buy oil that is packaged in dark green bottles as opposed to clear glass or plastic which do not provide much of a barrier to light. Light and heat can trigger oxidation reactions, and it's these reactions that cause the fat molecules in oil to taste rancid. Rancidity can be detected by a soapy taste.
I highly recommend using oil for this recipe because the oil will give it a softer texture in the presence of all the nuts which have a tendency to firm up the crumb.
Yes, you can use any type of cooking oil, such as canola oil, olive oil or sunflower oil. You can also use coconut oil, but it has a much higher melting fat profile so it will make the crumb more crumbly and less soft.
Yes, you can make this in am 8 or 9-inch round pan. If you use an 8-inch pan, you will need to add at least 5 minutes to the baking time.
EXPERT TIPS FOR WHIPPED CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- The key is to ensure the cream cheese is as room temperature so it is very soft and spreadable. Then blend it well with just a bit of cream to loosen it and smooth it out. Do not add anymore cream until it is perfectly smooth at this stage.
- Hold back on the sugar! Too much sugar will not only make it taste way too sweet, but it will make it more runny since sugar binds water and turns into a syrup.
- Don't skip the lemon juice. The acid from the lemon will actually denature the proteins in the cream and help it to set over time and with chilling.
STORING AND FREEZING
Due to the cream cheese in the frosting which has a high moisture content, this cake needs to be refrigerated. The good news is that since the cake is made with oil (not butter), it will remain soft even when cold. Cover the cake well and store in an airtight container in the fridge. For the best experience, let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.
Yes, you can wrap the cake (unfrosted) in plastic wrap and then again in foil and freeze for up to 3 months.
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Moist Pistachio Carrot Cake
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Batter:
- 1 cup (142g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (40g) finely ground salted and roasted pistachios plus extra for topping
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon each ground allspice nutmeg and ginger
- 1 cup (120g) finely grated carrots from 1 ½ to 2 medium carrots
- ¼ cup (55g) packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (60ml) sunflower oil
- ½ cup (120ml) plain full fat yogurt or sour cream thinned out with 1 teaspoon milk
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
- chopped pistachios for decorating
Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting:
- ½ cup (125g) cream cheese, very soft
- ⅔ cup (160ml) 35% heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoon (40g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8x8-inch square metal baking pan with parchment paper leaving a 2-inch overhang at each side and secure the sides down on the edge of the pan with ¾-inch binder clips.
- Make the cake batter. Combine flour, granulated sugar, ground pistachios, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices in a medium bowl and whisk to blend evenly.
- Combine grated carrots, brown sugar, oil, thinned out yogurt or sour cream, egg and vanilla in another medium bowl and whisk until combined. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet mixture. Gently fold until evenly combined. The batter will be glossy but thick.
- Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 20 minutes in the pan and then transfer cake to a cooling rack.
- Make the frosting. Whip soft cream cheese in a large bowl using an electric handheld mixer until very smooth. Add 2 tablespoons of cream and mix until very smooth and there are no lumps. Then gradually add remaining cream a few tablespoons at a time and mix well between additions until it forms soft peaks. Gradually mix in sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until it is whipped and thickened to a spreadable consistency, then mix in lemon juice and vanilla extract.
- Spread the frosting over the cooled cake and then top with more crushed and chopped pistachios before serving. The frosting will be soft at first, but it will thicken further as it sets and after it is refrigerated. It is so dreamy!
- Carrot Decorations: Mix ¼ cup of cream cheese with 1 teaspoon of sugar, then mix in heavy cream a few drops at a time until it reaches a good piping consistency. Divide the mixture into two portions. Color one portion orange and the other green. Fill resealable zip-top bags with each icing and pipe little carrots onto the cake.
María
I want to try to adapt this to a tres leches version. Do you think it would work?
christina.marsigliese
Hi Maria! I would not recommend this cake for that as will be too soft. I recommend using my Sponge Cake recipe.
Maria
Do you have a carrot-pistachio sponge? I heard about a carrot pistachio tres leches cake and I would love to find a recipe.